Aventura resident, former NFL player arrested in California rape

Former NFL safety Darren Sharper has been charged in Los Angeles with drugging and raping two women, prosecutors said Friday.

Sharper was expected to be arraigned on two counts of rape by use of drugs, four counts of furnishing a controlled substance, and one count of possession of a controlled substance, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The complaint alleges the controlled substances were morphine and zolpidem, which is sold under the brand name Ambien.

A call from The Associated Press seeking comment from Nandi Campbell, an attorney for Sharper, was not immediately returned.

Sharper, 38, played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010, mostly with the Packers.

Sharper owns a home in Aventura that Miami-Dade County records show he bought in 2006 The home on Island Boulevard has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and is 6,362 square feet. Sharper paid $2.9 million for the property.

Prosecutors said he met two women at a West Hollywood nightclub on Oct. 30, invited them to a party and stopped at his hotel room.

He is accused of giving a shot of alcohol to each of the women before they passed out. One woman told investigators she woke up naked hours later with Sharper sexually assaulting her. The other woman awoke and "interrupted his actions," according to the criminal complaint.

On Jan. 14, Sharper met two other women at the same nightclub and invited them to a party. On the way, he invited both to his room and offered them shots before they passed out, prosecutors said.

When they woke up early the next day, one woman believed she had been sexually assaulted, the complaint said. Both women left his hotel and sought medical treatment.

Sharper was arrested on Jan. 17 and released on $200,000 bail.

Prosecutors want his bail raised to $10 million because he faces similar investigations in Arizona, Nevada and Louisiana.

If convicted in the California case, he could face more than 30 years in state prison.

Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and a second with the Saints.

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Hope this is not true. Guy was a very good football player and appeared to be stand up guy. He had a great job with NFL Network after he retired also. He is also a very good looking guy with lots of charisma who did not have to stoop to these horrible measures to "get some". Truth is though, rape in many cases is a crime of power, not passion. IF THIS IS TRUE, and he is guilty of doing this to several women (it could even be one, but several makes it even worse), he deserves to get the book thrown at him and be sent away for a long, long time. What he is accused of is totally despicable and inexcusable.